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1997 Australian Grand Prix
9 March |officialname = LXII Qantas Australian Grand Prix |circuit = Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit |location = Albert Park, Melbourne, Vic. |circuittype = Temporary street circuit |lapdistance = 5.303 |laps = 58 |distance = 307.574 |pole = Jacques Villeneuve |polenation = CAN |poleteam = |poletime = 1:29.369 |fastestlap = 1:30.585 |fastestlapdriver = Heinz-Harald Frentzen |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 36 |winner = David Coulthard |winnernation = GBR |winnerteam = |second = Michael Schumacher |secondnation = GER |secondteam = |third = Mika Häkkinen |thirdnation = FIN |thirdteam = }} The 1997 Australian Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the LXII Qantas Australian Grand Prix, was the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, on the 9 March 1997.'Australian GP, 1997', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr598.html, (Accessed 17/08/2019) The race would see David Coulthard claim an unlikely victory for , the first for a Mercedes engine since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. It had been a busy winter after the conclusion of the season, with World Champion Damon Hill moving to having lost his seat at . His place at Williams was subsequently taken by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, although it was the German's new teammate Jacques Villeneuve who would start the season as favourite. Elsewhere, two new teams led by two former World Champions entered the fray, with Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost setting up the eponymous teams and . Both had factory engine deals, Stewart with and Prost with , and had employed a promising talent to partner a rookie. A third new team appeared in the form of , although a non-existent development programme saw the bizarrely liveried cars as the major unknowns ahead of the season. There was another unknown in the form of Bridgestone, who were entering F1 for the first time as a full-time tyre supplier, having previously made a couple of appearances in the Japanese Grand Prix in the 1970s. Into the opening round itself and Villeneuve confirmed his pre-season status as favourite, claiming a dominant pole position by over 1.7 seconds from new teammate Frentzen. Michael Schumacher was best of the rest in third, two seconds shy of the Canadian, with Coulthard lining up in third. However, Villeneuve's hopes were ruined right at the start of the race, for Eddie Irvine, starting in fifth, would somehow manage to slam into the Williams at the first corner. That ultimately gifted the lead to Frentzen, while Coulthard managed to ease ahead of Schumacher to secure second. Frentzen, on a two-stop strategy that was intended to keep his car on low fuel, escaped up the road during the early stages, while Coulthard established a small gap over Schumacher. Indeed, the race became rather tepid after the initial chaos of the start, with no significant changes until Frentzen made his first stop. The German racer would drop to third after his stop on lap eighteen, although he was immediately able to close in on the two ahead. The German racer duly re-took the lead when Coulthard and Schumacher made their only stops mid-race, establishing a 23 second lead over the Scot. A trip through the pitlane would theoretically cost a driver 22-24 seconds, meaning Frentzen was right on the verge of slipping behind the #10 McLaren. Unfortunately for him a slow stop saw him lose an extra six seconds, dumping him back behind both Coulthard and Schumacher. With that Frentzen's hopes of a maiden win were over, for while he was able draft easily onto the back of Schumacher, he had no means of overtaking the Ferrari. Furthermore, a sustained period behind the #5 car ultimately resulted in Frentzen's already strained brakes, which duly failed completely within sight of the chequered flag. Out front, meanwhile, Coulthard was left to claim a startling win for McLaren-Mercedes, the first for the former Champions since the 1993 Australian Grand Prix. Schumacher duly finished second, despite having to make a late splash-and-dash for fuel, while Mika Häkkinen inherited third when Frentzen's brakes had failed. Background Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Diniz was allowed to start despite failing to set a time within 107% of the fastest at the stewards' discretion. Grid * Hill was unable to start the race. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Frentzen was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. *† Hill was unable to start the race due to a throttle failure on the formation lap. Milestones * Debut race for as a constructor.'1. Australia 1997', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1997/australie.aspx, (Accessed 17/08/2019) * made their 100th appearance at a Grand Prix as an engine supplier. * made their 50th appearance at a Grand Prix as an engine supplier. * Bridgestone entered their first Grand Prix as a tyre supplier since the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix. * 50th Grand Prix start for Olivier Panis. * Jarno Trulli, Ralf Schumacher and Shinji Nakano made their Grand Prix debuts.'1997 Australian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1997&gp=Australian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 17/08/2019) * 100th entry for Johnny Herbert. * Maiden (and only) entry for as a constructor. * Second career victory for David Coulthard. ** Tenth win for a car using #10 as its race number. * secured their 105th victory as a constructor. ** This was the first win for McLaren since the 1993 Australian Grand Prix. ** scored their 10th win as an engine supplier. ** This was the first win for a Mercedes powered car since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. * Maiden fastest lap recorded by Heinz-Harald Frentzen. ** Also the 25th fastest lap set by a car using #4 as its race number. * Last points finish for Nicola Larini. Standings David Coulthard would start the season as the Championship leader after his second career victory, leaving Australia with a four point lead. Michael Schumacher was in second ahead of Mika Häkkinen, while Gerhard Berger and Olivier Panis completed the first top five of the season. Nicola Larini was the only other scorer. In the Constructors Championship it was who left the opening round as the leaders, leaving Melbourne with fourteen points to their name. were eight points behind in second, with ended the day in third, three behind Ferrari. and were also on the board, while defending Champions had failed to score. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1997 Grands Prix Category:Australian Grand Prix